Ghosts and Goblins Oh My!

10/31/2014

Halloween has changed a great deal from my childhood days.  Perhaps yours too.  Mom allowed us kids to go out and get as much candy as our bags could carry.  The earliest Halloween I remember was when Mom made my brother and I King and Queen costumes out of crepe paper.  I believe my costume was made from purple crepe paper and while my brother and I were out that night, it rained.  No big deal you're thinking, but you'd be wrong.  The crepe paper bled and by the time I got home I was a lovely shade of lavender!

When we lived in France, my brother and I and our friends were allowed to go door to door again by ourselves.  The now constant worry about razor blades in apples or things like that didn't exist in the 50's.  You knocked on the door, and costume or not, you got candy.  Delightful.

The next place we lived was on an Air Force base which was closed to only authorized visitors.  Again, we hit the streets.  In those days, my brother and I would indulge our sweet tooth(s) by eating candy from our bag.  Today?  Not so much.

When our boys were old enough to go trick or treating, either Jeff or I stayed home while the other one pulled a wagon with one or both of the boys inside, along with one or both costumes and their candy.  Pulling the boys, even though they were young, definitely qualified as aerobic exercise!

A difference between the days when my brother and I and eventually my sister went out on Halloween was that the boys were not supposed to eat any candy until they got home.  Now I wasn't born yesterday, so I'm pretty sure that was followed to the "T", but I tried.

We followed the same deal with the boys as my parents had, which was that all the candy collected that night was dumped on the dining room table to "share" (more or less). I always threw away unwrapped candy as well as homemade popcorn balls and caramel apples. I appreciated the time and effort it took to make these goodies, but while I was never paranoid, I just didn't feel comfortable with those items.  I always wanted the Smarties candy as well as candy corn.  Disclaimer: as an adult I still like both of these!

Jeff and I live on a court at the top of the hill.  Our street which back when we first moved in was filled with the sounds of children's laughter, now is much quieter.  There are only a few homes left on our street that still have children at home.  The rest of us are either retired or have children in college.  We bought one bag of candy, which should be enough since the decision to either walk up and down our hill for perhaps a few houses handing out candy, is an easy one for most kids to make.  Even I don't like to walk up the hill - that's why they invented cars!

Tonight be sure to get your sugar fix!

P



 

Profiting from Somebody's Misfortune

10/30/2014

Our son has a neighbor who lives across the street that is going financially out backwards.  His house has been repossessed and was sold at auction.  For the last five days, his house has been open to anybody with dollars in their pockets.

On the first day of selling, he had some super nice things - a Harley, grand piano, beautiful wood furniture, china, books and anything else you could think of, he had.  At one time he owned an antique store, and he has been or is still selling on Ebay.   Jeff, the boys and a neighbor of one of the boys went to his house last weekend and because the prices were fair, beautiful high end wood furniture was bought and a small trailer, among other things.

Each day since last weekend, this man has been selling whats left in his house, which is a lot.  Jeff and I went with Andrew yesterday to look at what was still unsold.  I have a love of old books. I love how they look. I love how they smell and the older the better.  These are not books that I particularly intend to read, I just want them.  I bought several books, one of which was published in 1919 and is yellow with age - excellent!

Each room we went into was a potential trip hazard.  There was stuff all over the floor and some of the rooms didn't have overhead lights.  He had several old manual typewriters that would have been fun to own, but I didn't bother to ask him the price, because I was pretty sure it would be high.

I came away with some old books, two pretty salad plates and a figurine of a grandmother and grandson sewing together.  Nothing that I bought was going to change this man's finances.  A dollar here, a dollar there type of things.

What bothered Jeff and I then and continues to do so today,  is that walking into his house made us feel a bit queer.  It felt as if we were walking over a grave - figuratively speaking.  It seemed wrong on so many levels that this man's treasures were now being sold, at a rapid rate, for way less than they were worth.  

If memory serves me correct, he has to be out of the house today.  He is leaving with only what will fit in his pick-up truck, which isn't much.  I don't know if the Sheriff comes and has the contents of the house thrown out into the street or whether some charity group will be the recipient of everything that is left.  

What will remain with me forever is that no matter how high you climb, it's a very short slide back down.

P

Blowing in the Wind

10/29/2014

Today is a Winnie the Pooh day, which is to say, a blustery day.  Our oak tree is dropping leaves faster than we can pick them up. It would be lovely if there was just one massive leaf drop, but apparently Mother Nature doesn't work that way.  

I went out this morning for a few minutes of leaf round-up, which reminded me of trying to spit into the wind (and you know what happens when you try that).  I couldn't sweep up the leaves fast enough into a pile, get the dustpan (I know it's an unusual tool for the task, but it works) and scoop up a pile of leaves before another wind gust blew them away.  It's bad enough if you have to pick up the leaves in your pile once, but to have to do so twice is just plain cruel. 

I raked up two small piles, managed to get them into the bag, and feeling quite smug with my work, decided that picking up some leaves was better than picking up none.  I don't know about you, but I personally hate the recycling lawn bags. Why?  Because when you first open up the bag, it's pretty darn hard to get the stupid bag to stand up.  There is nothing more frustrating than to have a handful of leaves and turn around and find that the bag has fallen over and can't get back up!  I understand the need for recycling, but I wish the manufacturers could come up with a stiff bottom or something.  I'm sure that the manufacturers are working on this problem right now -  not!

Our house is at the top of the street, so if I don't rustle up my leaves, they just blow down the hill into somebody elses' yard.  This bothers me some, but assuredly doesn't keep me awake at night.  

The folks who mow our lawn offer leaf pick-up services.  Once pick-up is $165!  That seems steep to me since all they do is blow the leaves into a tarp, grab up the ends and throw the whole bundle into the back of their truck.  Leaf duty does give me some exercise, but as I've said before, exercise is over-rated!  

Tomorrow is another day and another opportunity to rake up leaves - or not!

P

Produce Facts

10/28/2014

First a disclaimer: with the exception of peas, corn and green beans, I don't like vegetables.  Oh and don't bother to write and tell me how good they are for you, I already know that!  Growing up, Mom must not have liked vegetables either because I don't remember her cooking any "exotic" veggies like eggplant, turnips or Brussels sprouts.  

With the amount of vegetables available to us today, there really is no excuse for not eating them - other than the reason above.  I generally buy frozen vegetables in large bags which I can use for several meals.  Almost all of my casseroles have some kind of vegetable, as well as salsa, thrown into the pot.

I don't have much luck in using fresh vegetables up fast enough before they end up over ripe, soggy or just plain icky.  Luckily for you and me, the paper had a nice article about the storing of vegetables.

I didn't know, for instance, that you could take pantyhose, add onions to each leg, tying knots between each one.  Potatoes need a dark cool place and it's better to store them in a paper bag.  For Asparagus you should trim a half-inch off the end of the stalks and then stand them up in a small amount of water (covered loosely with a plastic bag) in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh for four days. Carrots should also be trimmed and left unpeeled in the crisper drawer and should last for about two weeks. To keep Celery crisp, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and re-wrap tightly after each use. Celery, like carrot sticks, should be submerged in water in a tightly-covered container.  

And last but not least we come to two vegetables that I have trouble keeping fresh: tomatoes and bananas.  Do you store tomatoes stem up or down, refrigerate or counter? Apparently according to those in the know, it doesn't matter whether the tomato is up or down, but do keep it out of the fridge.

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas.  I don't want a green banana, but I also don't want a mushy one.  I only buy 2 or 3 bananas at a time, hoping that I will eat them fast enough to prevent the bananas from becoming soft and riddled with spots.  If you wrap each stem in plastic wrap that will help the banana ripen more slowly.

So there you have it, a primer on veggies.  But be aware that if you come to my house for dinner, peas and corn are still my go to favorites!

P

Men and Their Tools

10/27/2014

Andrew has a neighbor, who is going out backward financially, and needs to sell, give away or toss pretty much everything in his house by Wednesday.  His house was foreclosed on and was sold at auction, and though I've never been inside the house, from the outside it looks very nice.

In our house, for all the years we've been married, there is an unstated rule for no calls before 10:00 am or after 10:00 pm - unless there is an emergency.  Yesterday, Andrew called us way before 10:00 in the morning to let Jeff know about the sale at this guy's house. He had already been over and bought a table saw and some other "man necessary" tools!  

Once Jeff got off the phone with Andrew, he called Scott.  The key word for Scott was tools and he got in his car and zipped up to our house.  Apparently, once all of my men were in one place, they decided that the furniture in the house was so good, that Scott called his neighbor and they came up for a look-see, which ended up being a buying spree.  

Jeff bought one thing, for the good of the family!, a trailer that we can pull with our truck and take the trailer back and forth from Andrew and Scott's house.  Luckily, Scott has plenty of land to store the trailer, so it's not going to end up in my garage!  The trailer will be very useful and the price was fair.  So we are now a family with the "OX", which is our big truck and now a trailer - we can haul just about anything. I think I'll name the trailer "Babe", which is a good fit for the OX.

Do you remember the old tv show Tool Time with Tim Allen?  On that show Tim Allen had never met a power tool that he didn't want/need.  And, as an added bonus, he "tinkered" with a lot of the tools to make them run faster, or more powerful.  It was a guy's show and all of the men in my house loved it.

I know that Jeff and the boys had a wonderful time yesterday, it was Tool Time for them in real time.  Both Andrew and Scott are still building up their personal stash of tools and so this man's sale was mecca for both of them.  Jeff had (notice the word had) a lot of tools, power or otherwise, and over the course of the boys moving out and into their own houses, some of those tools have been borrowed - indefinitely it seems!  Both boys have building projects they are going to undertake at their new homes, with Dad's help!  Jeff and I are not planning on any kind of construction or destruction at our house - we like it just the way it is.

Here's what I know for sure: my boys/men had a wonderful time yesterday.  They enjoyed each others company and were stoked about the treasures that they found.

P


 

Physical Therapy or Med-evil Torture?

10/26/2014

Those of you who know me well, also know that for oh let's say the past 10+ years I have whined about my left hip and my ability (or lack thereof) for walking and/or standing for long periods of time. I am now seeing a new orthopedic surgeon, who may or may not be 12 years old, wants to revisit therapy, weight loss, epidurals (yuck) to see if any or some combination thereof brings me some relief.  I think that hoping I'll be cured is a stretch, it's osteoarthritis in my hip after all.

I want to be a model patient, which might be a first for me, and though he suggested seeing somebody about weight loss, I have opted to not pay a professional to tell me how to lose weight.  I, like everybody else, knows the secret: put less food in your mouth!  It's really as simple as that.  And, I need to eat a lot less sugar, my personal downfall!

The doctor also ordered physical therapy three times a week for the next six weeks.  I found a small physical therapy office close to the house and my therapist is very nice and has no qualms about putting my legs in positions that they just aren't meant to be in! Of course that's just my opinion.  The act of bending my right leg over my knee and then pressing down really gets my left hip's attention!  After being tortured I do get to rest on a heating pad which is lovely particularly at this time of year.  

I am not looking for a miracle cure, I just want to be able to put my shoes and socks on without grimacing.  I don't think that's asking for too much.  Oh and be able to put my recliner in the upright position without ending up just kicking the footstool portion of the chair down to the floor!

I haven't received exercises to do at home, but I'm sure that sometime next week I'll be given "homework".  I don't enjoy exercise and never had.  "Glowing", i.e., sweating, doesn't seem ladylike!  And, I'm always a lady - at least I think so!

For my exercise today, I'm going to go out into the yard and sweep (yes you read that right) up the leaves in the front yard.  The broom works just as good as a rake, and when you have a pile I simply grab a dustpan and "sweep" the leaves into the standard issued brown bag.

P
 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Cirrus Plane Crash in Maryland

10/25/2014

This wasn't what I was going to blog about today, but since the crash between a Cirrus plane (like ours) and a helicopter made the news, I thought I should put everyone's mind at rest.  The Cirrus involved in the crash wasn't ours.  We do rent the plane out, which helps us with plane expenses, and luckily for us, our plane was sitting in it's parking place at the airport.

Jeff had been out for the day playing "Farmer John" on Scott's "estate" and while he was gone a friend of ours called to see if Jeff was okay.  I thought the call was a bit odd, but assured him that Jeff was on the ground.

Apparently, Andy was at the hospital with Stacey and Benjamin to get a few stitches, who had an encounter with cement, which the cement won.  Andy called Jeff to tell him about the crash and wanted to make sure that he/we were safe.

I was enjoying my usual round-up of cheesy shows, all of which were recorded, earlier in the day and knew nothing about the plane crash, until Jeff came home later that night.  Any kind of aviation accident, particularly involving a Cirrus plane, gives us both pause.  The pilot of the plane did deploy the parachute and he and his passenger left the scene with some minor cuts and bruises.  

For any naysayers out there, when the parachute is used, people walk away, all in one piece.  That bit (a large bit to be sure) of nylon that sits ever ready, should we need to use it, makes me feel safer flying in our plane.  Anytime someone can walk away from a plane crash, it's a good thing.

The parachute pulls on Cirrus' planes, has saved many lives and this week two more people are alive thanks to the on board parachute.

P

Jack Sprat, Humpty Dumpty and Losing Weight!

10/22/2014

Jeff and I are sort of a Jack Sprat couple.  He loves salt and fat (buttermilk, cream cheese), I, on the other hand, like - nah LOVE sugar.  I don't think there's anything out there made with sugar that I don't enjoy.  How could there be, we're talking sugar here people.

Unfortunately, over time with no calorie restrictions (yes, I know that's bad), and a sedentary lifestyle thanks to my hip, I have overtime began to closely resemble Humpty Dumpty!  And that's not good.  When I was in Chicago with no access to food except for three times a day, I lost weight.  But, once I was home and the pantry was so close as were the cookies, then I bet you can guess what happened.  The weight slowly creeped our jumped back up to a number on the scale that isn't healthy and/or if I don't get my snacking under control, will require large sized clothes.  And that my friend, is unacceptable.

The doctor yesterday suggested that I go to a weight management doctor, but I don't need a doctor.  I know what to do.  I learned all about portion control and what's good to eat and what's not while I was going through the process of gastric bypass surgery.

Since I can't do too much about being physical, I must therefore stop putting food in my mouth.  If you're hungry, really hungry you should eat something.  Some folks maintain that once you're tummy starts to growl you should try and wait 20-30 minutes before eating, which is good advice.

So instead of shelling out money to have somebody tell me I'm overweight (duh) and that I should eat more celery and salad, and less cookies, ice cream and candy, I'm determined to try and take off the pounds the old-fashioned way - eat less!  It's not rocket science, everybody knows that the less you eat and/or the more you exercise, the more weight you will lose. Thanks to my body limitations, walking isn't something that I can do without dealing with pain. I suspect that if I limit, I can't imagine living completely without sugar, the scale will start to the left rather than the right!  Uppy numbers are no good, we want "downy" numbers.

I see the doctor in six weeks and I'm hoping that I will be able to show him that I did begin to pay attention to my diet.  I'm not exactly expecting a gold star from him, but in my head if I have a lower number on the scale, I'll give myself an imaginary gold star!

P

Dressing for the Weather

10/20/2014

Unless you are living on a tropical isle (and if you are - congratulations), then you know that summer is officially over, and we're in the "Winnie Pooh" season (if you live somewhere were leaves drop after the wind blows).  

Having said that, I have put away most of my "shorty pants" to the back of my closet.  Now, I'm rummaging around in drawers looking for pants, and hope they still fit!  Sleeveless tops are also put away in favor of long sleeves and sweaters.  It's not cold enough for a coat right now, but in the evening a jacket feels pretty good.

Since we installed a gas fireplace, that I can start with the push of a button, my den where I do all of my television watching, gets nice and toasty.  Even the dogs appreciate the warmth.  Sometimes I think the room gets overly warm, so then I have two choices: (1) turn the fireplace off; or (2) crack open a window.  Life is just one decision after another.

Summer has never been my favorite time of the year.  I hate sweating (or glowing as we women prefer to call it), sticking to leather furniture and are forced to either run the a/c (which the power company is in favor of), or have fans all over the house!  In the summer, cool showers are lovely as are cold floor tiles under your feet.  At this time of the year, the heat lamp is on, and I do the Texas Two Step from one bathroom rug to another!

Unless it's the dead of summer and the a/c is on, we sleep with our bedroom windows open even in winter.  Even during a snowstorm, we open the window only a crack, because who wants to wake up and find a foot of snow on the carpet?  Bedrooms, in our humble opinion, should be cool because we feel we sleep better.  And, when you sleep with two dogs, it's hard to actually feel cold when they are tucked in between us!

Neither of us have offices we must travel to anymore, so watching the weather intently, looking for building closures, isn't high on our priority list.  Though we no longer work, we still want to know if a large snowstorm is headed our way - have to make sure you don't run out of the essentials!

P

Disabled? Not so Much?

10/19/2014

In order to receive disability through Social Security, you have to show proof to the Social Security judges of your disability(s).  People can file for disability on their own, but that is not a wise choice.  You need someone in your corner.  Someone who knows the ins and outs of obtaining disability awards.

You have seen the commercials on television, where some nice man perched on the corner of a desk (who wouldn't believe a man sitting on the side of a desk?) and telling you that his firm can and will get you a disability award from SSA.  And, unfortunately, people believe these ads.  They believe that this firm, and hundreds just like them, are in business for the "greater good", which is b...s...  I believe, and I could be wrong, but I doubt it that firms who advertise on television, have only one thing in mind, and that is, how much money they are going to receive from representing you.  Everybody knows that attorneys do some pro bono work, but if that's the only kind of work that they do, their bottom line in the ledger isn't going to look very good.

Last year, my employer's long term disability carrier, hired an independent company that handles the paperwork for people who are disabled.  This third party company is/was amazing.  I only had to sign a few pieces of paper and my doctors sent in reports on my mental and physical health.  Luckily, I was given my disability award in just a matter of months, not years like some applicants do.  

I believe there are two types of people filing for disability: (1) people that are actually disabled and have a doctor(s) report to back up that disability; and (2) people who have lost their jobs, have no unemployment insurance left, or some other scenario that possibly isn't backed up by a doctor's report.  

The paper today had an article about disability claims clogging the system.  The paper reports that 633,000 applications are pending and the average time to process a claim is 109 days. If you don't receive an award, you can file your first appeal which generally takes 107 days.  There are 170,000 applications pending appeal.

During the third appeal you have expert witnesses. This process takes 422 days and there are 990,000 pending appeals. Finally, you can appeal to the Appeals council, which reviews the claim without meeting the applicant.  This takes approximately 374 days and there are 150,000 appeals pending.

In most cases, an applicant waits 1,012 days before receiving an award, or denial of same.  That's a long time for people who are genuinely disabled and unable to work.  Some disabilities are easier to prove than others.  In the beginning of my claim processing, I remember telling my doctors that there was no way I would receive an award for my mental condition.  Mental conditions are harder to prove than let's say a leg that's missing.

I genuinely feel sorry for those individuals, who have a legitimate disability, and have to wait their turn, while the SSA employees wade through mountains of questionable claims.

P

Panicking

10/18/2014

Thanks in part to the constant 24/7 news reporting, the public is on high alert for signs of Ebola.  And, as it happened yesterday in Washington, there was concern that a woman vomited in a parking lot near the Pentagon after being briefly on a shuttle bus.  Oh my gosh, did doctors and officials really have to assume that she might be infected?  She could have been pregnant, had the flu or suffering from a hangover, but no the worst case scenario was imagined.  

Twenty-two people on that Pentagon shuttle bus were kept quarantined for hours.  Talk about having a bad day - for those passengers - as well as the sick woman.  Marines were sent to the woman's office where the woman's boss was questioned.  Apparently the woman was suffering from a severe illness.  

I feel bad for the people who were unlucky enough to have been on that bus.  I also feel sorry for the sick woman.  When she became ill, I'm pretty sure she didn't realize what a knee jerk action that would cause.  If, the woman in question, had been out of the country, and/or Africa in particular, then the officials reaction would be reasonable and justified.

I'm not trying to down play how serious this illness is, because I know it's both serious and dangerous.  But sometimes I feel we're running around like that little chicken that used to cry out "the sky is falling".  

I believe that the talking heads help(?) to keep the general public in a state of mild frenzy.  Back in the "old" days, we didn't have 24/7 news reporting, the internet or social media.  The newspaper arrived once a day, sometimes twice if you lived in a big city and what you read was the news.  Of course when big things did happen, like JFK's assassination, reporters like Cronkite were on the television and regularly scheduled shows were canceled.  But even big news events didn't have entire shows dedicated to people who were "in the know". 

Another form of panicking is weather.  In the parts of the country where it snows, the reporters can go on for hours to tell us that the storm is coming which they repeat every 15 minutes or so.  They remind us, because after all we are just "normal" folks with "normal type" brains, that we need to rush out and rape the stores of the basic snow essentials: milk, bread and toilet paper.  

Trust me when I tell you that you do not, I repeat do not, want to be in a grocery store the day before a big weather event is predicted to happen.  The lines at the cash registers are long, and heaven helps us if you get to the milk aisle, for instance, and there is little or no milk!  

Sometimes I think all of us could benefit from a Zen moment.

P
 

Life and Friends

10/17/2014

As we move through our journey called life, we gather friends along the way.  We have close friends, old friends, friends who have died and sometimes friends that have moved on. Some people have lots of friends, others not so many.  

I remember being in Lamaze classes and bonding, for only that brief period of time, with the other pregnant mothers in the room.  At the end of our classes, we all hugged and wished each other well.  All of us women knew that our "friendship" was limited to the upcoming births of our baby.  We also knew that we would never see each other again.

A long time ago I worked in a small insurance claim office.  It was me and my boss, who was frequently out on the road or "sleeping it off".  Our office was on the second floor and on the first floor was another small office.  The lady, who was older than me, ultimately introduced ourselves and began sitting on the stairs mid-way between the two offices so we could pop up to answer our phones.  This was also a friendship for a limited time in my life.

I have worked in large corporations where you obviously don't know everybody, just the folks in your circle. In a new job you meet your coworkers and sometimes without even realizing it, you are doing an appraisal of these new people, and likely they are doing the same.  You can be drawn to some people and other people not so much.  You and your circle of work friends can, during off hours, chat (okay gossip) about other people at work, go to office parties and produce food for potluck lunches.  What holds you and your work friends together?  Simply put - work.  Once one or both of you have left that particular office, your chances of remaining in contact are slim to none.  There is no longer a common denominator between the two of you.

During the entire nine months last year where I was hospitalized or in treatment, I met people who were also ill.  We might not have all been hospitalized for the exact same reason, but we were lumped together.  Some people had eating disorders, others had trouble with alcohol and drugs, some had been suicidal, but whatever other problem we suffered from, we all suffered from depression, whether it was mild or severe.  Over meals and during classes, these hospital people became your family.  Souls were searched, tears were shed, and over time laughter entered back into our lives.  When one of us was discharged, there were hugs and a few tears, promises to keep in touch, addresses passed back and forth.  We all knew that we would not get in touch.  Our relationship was merely a moment in our lives, and a time that most likely all of us would like to forget.

Along my journey, I have collected these people.  I no longer know their names or remember what they suffered from, only that we ended up in a room or a ward together.  Having their friendship was very important and during therapy sessions or hospital stays, you would be pulled to one or possibly two people.  These people became your lunch and dinner buddies, handed you Kleenex when you needed it and listened with sympathy to your story.  

No matter where I was last year, hospital or treatment center, I was always the only one who had attempted suicide, not just once but twice.  Talk of suicide in a room full of fragile people, always stops all side chatter immediately.  A virtual hush surrounds you as the other patients try to get their arms around your words.

I worked with a lady many years ago, and during the time that we worked in the same department, we shopped at lunch, went to each others' homes for dinners, made cookies for office parties, and more often than not she and I would get slightly in trouble for laughing and talking too much!  But we had a grand time together.

This week, that friend of many years, was in Maryland and came to the house to spend the day with me.  Her visit spurred me into overdrive to de-clutter two of my spare bedrooms.  I know that my efforts resulted in those rooms looking great.  The closets, on the other hand, not so much!  I have closed the doors on my nice and tidy rooms, knowing that they will remain that way.  Why bother to go into a spare room that you have single handily turned chaos into a neat and tidy guest room.  I'm not expecting any overnight visitor, except for Benjamin, but I relax in my rocking chair knowing that at a moment's notice, I would simply only need to drag a dust rag across the dresser and be ready for company!  

Yesterday, my old friend and I drank coffee, chased with glasses of water and soda and very frequent potty breaks, we are after all "old" women with tiny bladders!  We talked rapid fire fast to catch each other up on the joys and heartaches we each had suffered in our lives.  We enjoyed looking at pictures of grandchildren and agreed that grandchildren are the absolute best thing.  As each of our stories unfolded, we alternated between tears for each other as well as laughter for the funnier things that have happened.  

Visiting with an old friend is like peeling an onion - one layer at a time.  The longer two old friends talk the faster the layers come away.  Good-byes are never easy, especially when you know that it may be many years before a girlfriend gab fest will come again.

So here's to my friend, who warmed my heart yesterday and unlocked some happy memories that we had shared together.

P

Sam and the Rabbit

10/16/14

Sam is our 14 year old Westie.  Sam has cataracts and doesn't see so well in the dark.  I, who also has a cataract can attest to the difficulty dim lighting presents.   Disclaimer: this is  a picture of a Westie, not a picture of Sam.

Last night, just before bed, I let Sam out front where he has been religiously piddling on one boxwood bush for years.  That part of the bush is obviously dead, but that doesn't matter to 'ol Sam.  He lept off the porch as fast as his old legs would go, and headed to the "bush". After letting Sam outside, I, but luckily he did not, notice a lovely little rabbit within one foot or so of Sam.  Sam was intent on marking his territory again, and didn't see the rabbit.

I held my breath because I knew with 100% certainty, that if Sam saw the rabbit, he would be obligated to chase the rabbit, which I knew would go up the oak tree in a nano second (and yes, the rabbit did just that). If the rabbit had decided to run across the yard, it's possible that Sam might have seen him, and then Sam would be off like a Greyhound on a race track.  Somehow, his old legs work just fine when in pursuit of something he sees, or something he thinks he sees!  But those same legs are finding it difficult to jump up on the bed as well as chairs.  He is more determined to make the jump onto the sofa, where he spends time "adjusting" the pillows to his taste.  Any pillow that don't fit into his comfort requirements, are tossed to the floor.

When Jeff and I are both out of the house, we can visually see Sam's disfavor of being left alone.  He tosses all the pillows he can find and unceremoniously fusses with the blankets we keep on furniture to keep that said furniture clean.  Most of these covers are piled up on the chair or sofa and sometimes he goes as far as dumping them on the ground.  Jeff and I don't need to be rocket scientists to know that Sam is annoyed with us, and he wants to make sure we "get it"!

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The Weather Sucks

10/15/2014

I believe the title says it all.  The weather does suck.  I've no particular reason to complain though. I don't have to leave my house and the combination of wind and rain is keeping fallen leaves from flying all over the place.

The real reason the weather sucks is because Jeff is supposed to be flying from Ohio to Maryland.  I've looked at the radar for the local area, and it ain't pretty.  Little planes can do rain just fine, thunder doesn't pose the same threat that lightening does.  Lightening in a  little plane can bring the plane down in a hurry.  Jeff is a very conservative pilot and I know that where ever he is right now, he's looking at the radar map.  It is always possible to try and fly away from the storms by deviating your route. 

With today's weather, I don't know if that's a possibility for Jeff or not.  If the weather delays his coming home until tomorrow, I would rather he be safe than sorry. 

The humidity is so high right now that I was forced to turn the a/c units back on, otherwise I would end up feeling like a soggy sponge! 

It's almost time for the daily commute from work to home and at the moment the rain is really coming down, so it may be slow going on the roads. 

It's raining hard enough that Sam (terrier) who dislikes having his feet get wet, hurries in and out of the doggy door to keep his time in the weather as short as possible.  As I type, he is curled up in a side chair fast asleep.  Ah the life of dogs.

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And I Miss Him

10/14/2014

Jeff's been gone a week and I admit that I've enjoyed being a "bachloret" (sp).  After 40 years of marriage a break away from each other can be a good thing.  Well there is one more thing, that "break" should be generic, i.e., "G" rated!  

While Jeff has been gone, I haven't turned the oven on and haven't used enough dishes to warrant use of the dishwasher.  Jeff has a coffee cup, just one, that he uses day after day.  I don't wash it - ever - because he swears that when I have washed it in the past, coffee no longer tastes the same.  I doubt that seriously, but because he's asked, I leave the cup alone.  At this point, I'm not even sure I could wash it and make it clean.  No, I think I would have to use something stronger than soap!

There are things that I do when Jeff isn't home, like having frosted flakes for my dinner and toast as a mid-day snack.  I read the paper first, actually what I do could not technically be called reading, it's more like browsing or scanning.  I do, however, really read the comics!  What can I say?

When Jeff is home, he does the heavy lifting and I'm not talking about physically.  He takes the mail each day and sorts real mail from junk.  If there is a response needed to something in the mail, he does it.  

When I become unhinged over something silly and trival, Jeff listens.  He assures me that everything is okay.  Before all of the nonsense of 2013, my brain hadn't suffered from loss of memory, so I didn't need as much help handling things, as I do today.

Jeff promises me that everything is and will be fine.  And I believe him. I turn to him when my world, which is small and for the most part calm, becomes chaotic.  I let Jeff take care of me. I know that he doesn't want me to worry needlessly over silly, stupid tings, so he talks me "off the ledge".

While I miss him, I am thrilled that Jeff was able to go to the COPA migration in Las Vegas last week.  And, unlike migrations in the past when I tagged along, he didn't have to fret over whether I was/am having a good time.  After enduring a tortorious year, I was all in about Jeff flying out West and enjoying himself.

I sent him an email last night that said simply:  "Time to come home. I miss you."

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Bing TV Watching

10/13/2014

I know you have all heard about binge eating, but there is another kind of binging - a television show.  With the help of Netflix, you can watch hours and I do mean hours of uninterrupted (i.e., no commercials) of certain television shows.

A month ago my binge watching was "Hell on Wheels" which I highly recommend.  It's about building the Union Pacific Railroad.  Deals with hooligans, Indians, drunkards, prostitutes, cheating and anything else that you can think of that is dirty and/or evil.  

One of the boys mentioned that I should watch the show "Scandal", which is set in current times, but has much in common with "Hell on Wheels".  Instead of building a railroad, we see modern day politicians cheating, stealing, murdering and scheming.  When you think of the tv show, in some ways it closely resembles real life in Washington.  

It was raining over the weekend and in between chores, and yes I really did some, I put my hind end on the sofa and watched several episodes before getting up to do more chores.  That scene was played over and over again during the weekend.  I like shows without commercials, who doesn't?  And if you are binge watching, then you don't have to remember what last weeks show was about.

I have never made any excuses for my love of television.  Current shows bear no resemblance whatsoever to what I watched as a teenager.  Shows in the 60's were generally pleasant, family orientated without all of the violence you see today.

I believe our standards for a lot of television shows today require a certain amount of violence, and/or sex.  I'm not against watching a show that has some violence in it, but the show that Jeff likes so much "Blacklist" I have stopped watching.  The things that happen to people in that show give me nightmares.  

It's time for me to get myself up and resume my cleaning.  There is nothing like having company coming to your house that gets you moving faster to tidy up, hide or disguise some of the things around the house.  

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Traveling

10/12/2014

Traveling.  Who doesn't like to travel?  Think of it, you don't have to cook meals or clean-up, make your bed or wash your towels.  And as an added bonus you get a bunch of little bottles of shampoos, mouth wash as well as pint sized pieces of soap.  I don't know about you, but in my spare bathroom, I have an entire, yes I said entire, drawer devoted to those little things.  I save them because them are handy when you are traveling, particularly for taking a commercial flight where everything has to be sized just so.  Another perk of having your own plane, is that I can, if I want, take really big bottles of stuff with me.

I personally don't like those moving walkways, but then again I don't like escalators either.  I'm always afraid (not rational thinking I know) that somehow my foot is going to be swallowed up by the teeth of the step behind me.  I find it unnerving to be moved, while not actually moving, at a pace set by somebody (who knows who).  When getting on the walkway there is always a bit of a lurch which annoys me because I'm not always steady on my feet.

Then there's security.  As mentioned above, little bottles in clear plastic bags, laptop bags opened up and laptops booted up.  Hoping to make it through the scanner by not setting off any type of alarm.  And, of course, you have to have your purses and briefcases scanned, and you hope that let's say a mini hair dryer doesn't look like some kind of weapon!

It's been a long time since I flew commercial, but I remember all too well that I'm too short and not strong enough to heft my carry-on up over my head.  I try to bring a bag small enough that it will tuck under my seat, which has the added advantage of being easily retrieved when the plane lands.

I guess it should come as no surprise to me based on the way people dress today. Jeans are now seen everywhere, even in churches.  A clean, unstained, un-ripped pair of jeans is acceptable almost everywhere now.  But then there are the jeans that are: too tight, too long resulting in frayed and dirty hems, and jeans that are torn either by the manufacturer or by the wearer.  I personally also don't like flip-flops.  I'm not talking about the more expensive thong sandals that actually stay on your feet - no it's those flimsy ones that make that dreadful flip-flop sound when they walk.

You and your seat buddy(s) all have individual controls, but pleasing three people in a confined space is maddening.  I don't want cold air blowing on my head, but the guy next to me does.  I don't want the armrest down simply because I don't want passenger overflow into my seat.  The trouble with the armrest is that really only one person can use it at a time.  I'm a bit on the timid side (ya think?) and have never "fought" for my own elbow space.  Life's just too short.

Before I end, I want to share with you something I found on the internet.  It's a product called Claspies. If you are wearing Claspies, you can change your underwear anywhere and anytime.   Claspies allow you to STAND on two feet while putting on your panties ... plus, you can keep your pants and shoes on during the entire process (no more worrying about losing your balance and having your feet touch wet/dirty bathroom floors)!  Who knew that a product like this existed?

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Junk

10/11/2014

Junk - everybody's got some - and some people have lots.  I am somewhere in the middle.  I have my two junk drawers in the kitchen, but would absolutely be unable to tell you with certainty what's inside.  Once something goes into either of those drawers, they are engulfed in some kind of mysterious dark hole.  Oh because every now and then I think I should be a better housekeeper (hate that word), I pull out the contents and spread them across the counter.  Ugh.  There are bits and pieces of paper, old lenses which I can't throw out, who knows I might need them sometime.  

When we lived in Riverside, Jeff and I lived in a pretty small home, 1,500 feet or so.  We had small bedrooms and bathrooms and very little closet space.  But we lived there from 1975 until 1986 just fine.  

Then we moved to Maryland.  Back here, one level homes are rare because land is so valuable. Two story homes are the "norm".  When we were house looking, we fell in love with the model of the house that we ultimately bought.  Twenty-eight years ago, stairs wasn't a problem for either Jeff or I.  Today - they are a big problem.  Creaky knees and a worn out hip make the once beautiful stairs, now more of a torture.  I try to come down in the morning and go up at bedtime.  And I am no longer able to go up or down stairs without holding the railing.  Curses it's tough being old.

When we moved in, all the boys had their own bedrooms and shared a bathroom.  And as the years passed by, too quickly, the boys left homes.  We turned one empty bedroom into an office for Jeff where he can keep his papers and his desk as messy as he likes.  Unlike me, he does not suffer from OCD.  We took one spare bedroom and put a bed in there, but are only "guest" has been Benjamin.

The last spare bedroom is our junk room.  We have commercial shelving that is filled with binders and file boxes of paperwork from our now defunct battery business.  There is a filing cabinet filled with a folder for each car that we own or owned (don't ask me about that), insurance policies, our Wills, passports, paid bills and anything else that we might need SOME DAY! 

I have several dressers in the junk room, filled with my clothes and in full disclosure these dressers were originally purchased for Benjamin's clothes. There is a Britax car seat that was a spare as we originally bought car seats for both of our cars, neighbor Kim as well as Andy.  Benjamin doesn't come to see us often now, so I have taken a lot of his toys and put them in cloth tubs and when he visits, I drag the tubs downstairs.  

The doors to the "guest room" and the "junk" bedroom are always closed.  But, I have an old friend coming to visit us next week and she's staying the night.  Today, I will go into those rooms and put away stuff - and I have a lot of it.  I'm not a pack rat like you see on television where people only have small aisles that they can walk in.  I'm a sentimental pack rat and my hope chest is full to the brim.  To add new things, cards, pictures from Benjamin  or anything else that has meaning, I have to cram them inside.  The lid still closes but I know the day is coming where the chest will be full - really full.  

I don't know why I feel sentimental over so many things, I just do.  In one of my old curio type of chest in the living room, sit on the bottom shelf a pair of yellow and white flannel baby booties.  They were mine.  I have stuffed the toes with tissue paper but when I think about getting rid of something, the booties are never considered.  Nor is the wooden merry-go-round that has little horses that go round and round.  Dad bought me that merry-go-round when we were in England.  So if I do the math (and I'm terrible at that), and assume we went to England probably in 1952, that makes this toy 62 years old.  

I know that if we ever move to a smaller home, then I would have to left go of some of my treasures, and when that day comes, it will be painful.  

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Going to the Movies

10/10/2014

I remember as a teenager, enjoying many Saturday afternoons spent with girlfriends at the movies.  In those days movie theaters really looked regal, with the curtains and balconies.  Today's theaters - not so much.  I can also remember that I didn't have to add to the national debt to see a movie!  Today you do.

Yesterday's movie was $11.00 to get in (this was at 5:00) and because I am a movie popcorn addict, had to have popcorn and coke - another $11.00.  These are ridiculous prices.  You know and I know that you can make a lot of popcorn for $11.00.  It is a ripoff, but still the smell of popcorn generally leads me to the cash register.

We watched "The 100 Step Journey" with Helen Mirren.  It was a peaceful and quiet movie and I enjoy every film that Mirren is in.  The movie though will not be an Oscar contender, it likely won't even be recognized for wardrobe, art or some of the lesser known categories.  

It seems that movies, like television, is now noisy and dark. The general public (and I'm not in that category), like murder, mayhem and characters that are dark and disturbing.  I used to like Blacklist, which is a very dark tv show, but because of the nightmares, I gave up watching.  Jeff now watches it alone.  I can't stand watching people being tortured, it looks too much like real life.  And if I'm interested in real life, then all I have to do is open the newspaper and read about whose been killed, whose been attacked, and who's going to jail.  Cruelty doesn't just happen to people, sometimes animals are involved, and animals have no voice.

So for me I will settle for peaceful, feel good movies and television anytime.

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Folding Up My Tent

10/8/2014

You know the song that has words like "know when to fold 'em"?  Well today was my day to fold 'em.  The lady I worked for at the Humane Society corporate office, called me in today to discuss my "progress, or lack thereof".  

I noticed that she had notes of things she wanted to talk to me about.  She told me that while I made some progress in the three weeks I've been there, I still need to have instructions repeated over and over again, which is making her work harder not easier.  

She began to talk about my doing special projects in the future, but I was able to connect the dots, since they were so close together.  I could tell she was having trouble trying to find a nice way to basically tell me to stay home, we'll call you, etc.

I made it easy for her.  I told her that I had wanted to believe, or maybe needed to believe, that I could actually work in an office again, but now I know differently. I am going to work on Monday to finish up a small project that she has and then I'll stay home.  

The part of my brain that is supposed to help me understand what is being told to me, is still not functioning at it's peak capacity.  And maybe it never will.  It is hard to live with a brain that is not running on all cylinders.  I could have a pity party, but the long and short of it is, I "f....." up last year and I have nobody but myself to blame.  

So I'm home now where everything is familiar and peaceful.  Jeff continues to handle all the paper that comes into the house.  I'm the official envelope licker and stamp "sticker oner"  I become confused and agitated over the simplest of things and Jeff has had the patience of a saint when dealing with me.  

I know what and who I was in January 2013 before trying to kill myself.  What I fear now is that the person who survived isn't at the top of her game and maybe never will be.  

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Motor Vehicle Administration

10/7/2014

Some time, and I don't know when, I misplaced or had stolen my disability placard.  I have disability plates but if I'm in somebody else's car, I use the placard.  In order to get a new one, you have to file a police report (really) and have the police report number to get a new placard.

On the report you have to indicate what date and where the placard was stolen or misplaced.  Since I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast, it was pretty hard for me to come up with a date and place, but I managed.

So this morning, armed with my police report, I set off for the MVA.  You never go to the MVA without having something to do - puzzles, book, knitting, etc.  You could end up sitting on those nasty hard orange chairs for a very long time.  At the entrance to the MVA there are two kiosks and a long line behind both of them.  The kiosks were there apparently so that you could make an appointment.  Luckily for me, the lady behind the counter asked me what I needed, and she gave me a number and told me to sit and wait for my turn.

I have heard horror stories of people who have waited for a very long time before their number is called.  I think I waited all of ten minutes, just about enough time for me to complete one of my "dummy" puzzles.  While trying to concentrate on questions about what sound does a cow make, I could hear cellphones ringing, children crying (and this behavior I certainly understand), and under the breath grumbling of people sitting around me.

I know that some folks that were there likely had complicated issues, stolen license plates comes to mind for some reason.  These people were sitting in the orange chairs when I arrived and they were still sitting when I left.

I have now checked off something on my list - get a new placard, and can move on to more interesting things, like reading or because it's cooler now, knitting.

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Showering

10/6/2014

Just as the seasons change from hot to cold, so does my showering.  In the summer, when it's hot, humid and icky outside, a cool or cold shower is refreshing, and I linger in the bathroom while I walk barefooted across the tile floor.  My grandmother always thought that she slept best if she had a bath/shower before sleeping.  I can't argue with that because I've done it myself.

Fast forward to the weather we're having now, cool(er) days and nights. I no longer want a cool"ish" shower, I want warm to hot.  I turn the sunlamp on in the bathroom which is supposed to make the bathroom  I'm not just sure how much a difference it makes in the temperature. After getting out of a shower when it's cold, I do the "Texas Two Step" from the shower to the rugs that are on the floor.  I definitely do not want to put my bare tootsies on cold tile.  Yikes.  You can put in some pipes (I think that's what they are) that will provide radiant heat to the tile floor.  Pretty sure it's expensive.  Pretty sure it would involve tearing up the floor, which we had re-tiled a few years ago.  Now, if I bought a house with radiant heat in the floor, I sure wouldn't complain!

While I may linger in the bathroom in the summer, at this time of the year, I am the fastest dresser, teeth brusher, hair comber you've ever seen. 

So there you have it.  Seasons change - showers change.  Just a thought.

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Being Alone

10/5/2014

It's "T-Minus" one day before Jeff leaves for his COPA migration to Las Vegas.  He's excited and I'm excited for him.  This year, for the first time, he should be able to enjoy himself, without wondering whether I'm having a good time, or just marking time until we can fly home.

What probably (I'm not sure that's the right word) worries him, as well as my doctor and friends, is my ability to stay home alone and be safe.  Over the course of an entire year, I have been given medicines that I need to battle both depression and anxiety.  

There aren't enough words that I can say to assure Jeff, or anybody else, that I will be fine, I must be fine.  Being alone for nearly two weeks feels like an interim exam at the end of a semester.  In general, I like being alone.  Let's face it I'm a recluse and enjoy my own company and the ability to do a lot of things, or nothing at all, as I wish.

I will crank up the Tivo today to capture an entire week's worth of crappy television.  The kind of stupid shows that I enjoy but drive Jeff nuts.  You know my theory - if you're willing to go on television and act like a fool - I'm willing to watch!

I volunteer three days a week which gives me purpose and allows me to feel useful.  So that leaves me two days to go to the library, clean house (ugh) or sit outside and watch Mother Nature do her magic leaf changing act!

I haven't done any more writing on Wilma for quite a bit of time and as the weather gets colder, I'll drag my knitting out and continue knitting long strips of yarn (skinny scarf anyone?).

I appreciate your positive thoughts.

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